The Little Match Boy
by futureauthor13
Summary: Based on the story The Little Match Girl. Warning: Might make you cry but is really good so please read review.


**The Little Match Boy**

**Based on the story "The Little Match Girl"**

It was a cold December afternoon in Marzipan City. Everyone was having a good time, after all, it was Knishmas. But in the snow covered streets of Marzipan, there was a little boy, a cat/rabbit/bear thing boy to be specific. He was holding a box full of matches.

"Matches!" He said as loud as his throat could let him talk, "Matches for sale." He was hoping that someone would buy them, so perhaps he could buy some food.

Suddenly, the boy tripped on something and all his matches fell in the snow. He quickly picked them up and brushed the snow off them, hoping they still worked. As soon as he got up, he tried again to sell the matches, but no such luck.

Maybe they can't see me, he thought. The Boy climbed on top of a trash can next to a light post. "Matches for sale!" he said. As he looked around for people who might be interested, he saw a family walking out of a store. They looked so happy.....so warm, and well fed, and loved. The family climbed into a buggy and drove off. The boy couldn't help but think of a family he once had.

Suddenly, the boy felt two hands pick him up off the trash can and back on the snow covered ground.

"You shouldn't really be climbing trash cans, little boy," said Police Officer Hoagie.

"Sorry," said the boy, "Would you like a match?"

"No thanks," said Officer Hoagie, "Merry Knishmas." And with that he walked away.

The boy looked down at his box of matches. Eight matches, the same number of matches he had that morning. He didn't sell a single one. It then started to snow, so the boy started to look for a place to spend the night.

Along the way, he saw a small boy, who looked no older than him. He was a green rat, who was wearing an old worn coat and had a candle on his head but the wick had been burnt out for quite sometime. He looks so cold, thought the boy. He then grabbed one of the matches in his box and handed to the rat boy.

At first the rat boy was skeptical. He didn't have money to pay for the match and he didn't believe that someone would just hand him something free. But the boy told him to take it. When he did, the boy smiled and wished a merry Knishmas, and went on his way.

The boy now had seven matches left. Maybe tomorrow I can sell one, the boy thought hopefully. As the boy walked, the streets grew darker, colder, lonely. He finally settled down in a snow covered alley. He found a dry spot on the ground that wasn't covered in snow, and sat down.

The wind grew faster and colder, the boy had to hold on to his worn, purple hat just so it wouldn't blow away. He was so cold, his hands were like ice. He looked at his box of matches, and imagined the warm flame they would give off. I really shouldn't, thought the boy, someone might buy them. But as it grew colder, the boy could stand it no longer! He grabbed a match and lit it in a flash.

The boy held his free hand to the match. It warmed it just a little. As the match glowed, it put light on an old abandon oven in the snow. As the boy looked at the old oven, he smiled and imagined how good it would feel. He could almost feel the warmth. "Ahhhhh." He sighed in happiness as he looked in to the oven's warm, fire. But then the fire started to die out, until all that was left was a burnt out match.

The boy put the match in the snow. He wanted to be warm and safe next to a fire. He wanted to be home. The boy then grabbed another match and lit it. As he looked at the flame, he imagined an oven, cooking. Oh how the boy loved to cook, he used to do it all the time. But what he loved more than cooking, was eating.

The flame on the match grew into a gold painted dining room. Inside was a huge dinner table. "Mmmm," said the boy licking his lips. On the table was all his favorite dishes. Hot flurkey, cramberries, smashed grotatoes, corn, a Smingerbread house with a little smingerbread family, and delicious thrice cream! The boy reached out his hand, and grabbed a leg off the flurkey. But then, the dining room faded into the gray alley, and the flurkey leg turned into a burnt out match.

The boy heard his stomach growl. He was so hungry. He missed all the cooking his family used to do around Knishmas. He could almost smell the food. He looked at his box of matches. Five matches were left. Dare he use another one? Maybe just one more, thought the boy.

He lit a match. As the flame danced in the wind, sparks started to come off it. They flew wildly in the wind. As each spark started to grow, a shape formed around them, until they all took the form of a Knishmas tree.

The boy stared in awe as the tree glowed in all it's majesty. It had many colorful ornaments, popcorn on string strung between them. It shined with gold and silver glass balls, and a small angel was smiling at the top. The boy smiled back at the angel and walked up to the tree. He saw his reflection in all the glass balls, and they were smiling back at him. It looked so beautiful. But then, the shininess of the ornaments, and the brightness of the lights started to fade away. The popcorn strand dissappeared and the only lights left were the stars in the sky. Even the light from the match had burnt out.

The boy tossed the match into the snow and sat down. As with his other visions, this one reminded him of his past. The happiness he once had. He remembered decorating the tree with his family. He remembered one time, he and his family were decorating their Knishmas tree. But when the boy had tried putting up the lights, he ended up tangling them and getting tied to the tree! When his family tried to help him, they ended up getting tangled up too! Even though they were all upset at the time, he and his family would always laugh about it whenever it was brought up. Another time, the Knishmas dinner was burnt, so the family ended up having cold cereal for dinner, but it was the boy's favorite cereal, so he was still happy. They all were.

Even as tears fell down his face, these happy moments brought a smile to the boy's face. Suddenly, a bunch of cold water fell on the boy out of nowhere. He looked up and saw a tipped over bucket of water above him. The boy was now soaked and shivering. He looked at the four matches he had left. "J-j-just one m-more," he said as his shaking hand lit another match. He brought the flame up to his face and stared into it's bright orange glow. He saw a vision that was better than any vision before it. Better than the oven, the tree, even the table of food.

He saw Mung.

Mung used to be his cooking master. The boy had lived with Mung for as long as he could remember. They would cook for Mung's catering company, but most of the time, the most simplest dish turned into an adventure for the boy, and he loved it. The boy had never known his true parents, so Mung felt like a father to him. Even when the boy accidentally ruin a dish and Mung would get mad, he would always help the boy out and help him fix the dish. Mung would help the boy with his problems and was always there with a little advice.

But just like Mung had been taken from the boy before, the flame on the match soon died out and the vision, like the others faded away.

"No, don't go," said the boy. He could stand the cold and the hunger, but what he wanted most was his friends, his family. "No." Frustrated, he tossed the match in the snow. He wanted the visions of happiness to stay. He grabbed the last three matches, and lit them all at once, and looked into the three, separate flames. "Please work," he pleaded to the flames.

The three flames then combined into one bright flame. Not only did he see his old cooking master, he saw Truffles and Shnitzel.

Truffles was Mung's wife. She was a little shrill at times, but she did care about the boy. Truffles had taught the boy how to play Mahjong, and was like a mother to the boy. Shnitzel had been an employee of Mung's, but had felt like one of the family. Even though Shnitzel was grumpy most of the time, he could still have fun. Shnitzel would always end up getting pulled into their adventures, whether he wanted to or not. While Mung felt like a father to him, Shnitzel felt like an older brother.

The friendly faces in the flame smiled at the boy. He wanted to reach out and hug them, he missed them so much. His family had been taken away many months ago, but the pain of loneliness was still there. But they're here with me now, thought the boy happily. But then he noticed the flame starting to die out like the others.

"No! No, I don't want you to go! Please stay!" pleaded the poor boy as tears ran down his cheeks. He missed them all so much! He missed their adventures, he missed their company, but most of all, he missed the love and safety they gave him. Eventually, the flame dissappeared and blended in with the darkness of the ally.

The boy looked at his now empty box of matches and started to cry. He no longer had any matches to sell. He could no longer use them to get money or food. But worst of all, he was now alone.

Suddenly, the boy felt something shine on him, and looked up. He saw a big, bright star. It twinkled at him, as if saying everything was going to be okay. The boy wiped away his tears and smiled at the star. "Goodnight," he said to the star. He then laid down on the cold, hard ground and closed his eyes. He was still cold and hungry, but with that one star watching over him, he didn't feel quite so alone. He felt like someone was there with him, like the star was his own match that would never go out.

The boy shivered and curled himself up to try and keep warm, but it was no use. Snow was falling and the wind was blowing, but eventually he fell asleep. After what seemed like the most sleep the boy ever had, he felt something, no someone. Someone was shaking him.

He opened his weary eyes. When he saw who was shaking him, his eyes widened with hope and happiness. Was this another vision? Was it a dream. No, the boy felt the person's touch. The boy smiled as his eyes filled with tears.

"Hello Chowder," said Mung. Chowder quickly stood up, his master pulled him into a hug, and Chowder hugged back.

"I missed you," said Chowder.

"We've missed you too," said Mung, "We didn't want to leave you."

"But you came back," said Chowder looking at his master smiling.

"Of course I did," said Mung, "No one should have to spend Knishmas alone." Mung then picked Chowder up. "Truffles and Shnitzel are waiting for us."

"I know they are," said Chowder smiling as he slowly drifted back to sleep. He knew this wasn't a dream. He felt safe and warm, and he no longer had an empty feeling in his stomach. He didn't even ask where Mung was taking him, he knew where. He knew it was somewhere where he would be safe and loved. He looked up at the star that had kept him company that night.

"Thank you," he said quietly. Chowder then sighed a happy sigh and closed his eyes. He was warm, safe, loved and no longer alone.

He was home.

**This is probably one of the saddest things I've ever written, even I cried a little while writing it, but it's been stuck in my head for days so I just had to write it. Please review, but no flames. Also, If you've never even heard of the story "The Little Match Girl", you should really go to youtube and watch the Disney short based on this story. It really is a beautiful thing to watch, so do yourself a favor and watch it. Thank you for reading this.**


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